BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s next long-term budget should be bigger than the current one despite the departure of major net contributor Britain, the European Commission’s Budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said on Wednesday.

Oettinger told a news conference that the next budget, spanning 2021 to 2027 should be between 1.1 and 1.2 percent of EU gross national income, compared to the 1.0 percent now.

Because the size of the budget will be ultimately decided by EU governments, Oettinger left the exact size needed open, saying only it should be “1.1x” of EU GDP.